Energy Drawing
by darkxvisionsxIxsee
Summary: When Darcy and her brother Jay are forced to leave their home in Washington to live in in Mystic Falls, certain vampires start to notice the slight change of air around her. And Darcy, she's just trying to mend the breaking relationship with her older brother. She is highly unaware of the power she holds, especially when she resembles a friend of the Originals. Pairing undecided
1. The Air Hostess

Hi guys. I'm starting this new story involving the Vampire Diaries so, before I get started, I do NOT own the Vampire Diaries or any of the content I may add to the story such as town names or airport names or any of that stuff. With that said, I wanted to start this story because, lately, VD has started to annoy me with all the crazy things that have happened and I haven't watched much of this past season (I'm feeling guilty) so this will start around where season 3 began with the introduction to the one thing I do own.

The Vaz family and any other characters that are not part of the VD storyline. Now that I'm finished please enjoy and review and give me your opinion on what should happen.

It was out of convenience really, my brother leaving Burlington to go to Mystic Falls with me. We lived in a relatively small town with relatively normal people and a relatively normal house. Everyone knew who we were for their parents and their parents' parents all grew up together, living in the same relatively normal home as we did- did; meaning past tense. It wasn't entirely my decision to move from the cozy town in Washington; it was more like we had to. I was a minor and I refused to subjugate my brother to taking care of me. So I had decided, by myself, that I would move to a relatives. He hadn't taken my answer greatly and refused to let me go by myself. I guess a brother is a brother no matter how much they may seem to hate you.

Jay was 19 and I remained two years younger at 17. So, because of our parentless lives, as of a couple months ago, we were forced to move with the only willing relative that wanted to take us in; Crazy Grandma Shelly. It was what we had always called her as kids. She was our grandmother from mom's side and she held the same chocolate eyes that her and my brother held; a family trait that ran down the line until me. She had moved to Mystic Falls, Virginia after mom and dad split and later stopped all communication after mom had died. I guess both dad and Grandma Shelly knew how to hold grudges, even after their main point of arguing had been long gone.

So, here we were, on the plane leaving from Skagit Regional Airport and on our way to Mystic Falls and the awkward silence that filtered into my ears drove me more than a little bit mad. Jay wasn't particularly friendly with me at the moment. He hadn't been since the accident with dad. Fights always seemed to emerge whenever I so much as commented on the gloomy weather of our old home. He seemed to pick the fights no matter how hard I tried to remain neutral. It was almost like he was asking me to slap him across the face. And that did happen. It was last month when his fights got too out of control and his fist had slammed a picture of our once perfect family onto the concrete of our fireplace. I had slapped him and it left a burning print that also left a very permanent mark upon our relationship.

It had been hard ever since that day. I had always assumed that him being the protective, older brother would somehow help me get through another family death. It didn't. He had grown angrier and it was only a matter of time before I decided enough was enough. The day I packed my bags and called Grandma Shelly was the first time he had talked to me since the fight. He had yelled and yelled about how we had to stick together and I had screamed about how little support he was putting into our relationship. That had ended the argument and he had stormed off into his room. It was like his energy and anger had flooded into me and I was then feeling it too.

It had always been that way, with me having empathy to another person's emotions. Dad said it was because of my compassion for other people and their problems; I wasn't so sure that was it though. It had always seemed that manipulated those around me without conscious awareness of it. It almost seemed like I drained people of their energy when they were too excited or very angry. It had happened with Jay plenty of times. Actually, the fight we had last month was a prime example of it. As soon as I had entered the fight he had backed down from the lack of wanting to fight. Jay wasn't one to back down so it was kind of strange. But Jay had always seemed tired lately. Ever since dad passed he held a sort of resentment toward me. He would purposely bump his shoulder when we passed each other and would eat his dinner in his bedroom doing God knows what.

A slight tap to my shoulder broke me from my thoughts and a young looking flight attendant stood staring expectantly at me, holding out a trash bag.

"Trash," the blonde spoke in a dull monotone voice with a heavy accent that sounded British and it gave off a bad attitude. I bristled slightly and gathered the empty bag of pretzels and the small cup of water before turning toward Jay. He shook his head and remained looking out the window. I sighed and gave the trash to her before sliding further into the seat. Any progress on my relationship with Jay? Nada.

The attendant bumped passed me and asked the other people the same, boring question. I shot a glance toward Jay and noticed the faraway look in his chocolate eyes. He had that look on his face for a while now; almost everyday when we had avoided the inevitable fights that seemed to plague our breaking family. It was almost as though he were pondering something. Something…

"Are you going stare at me for the rest of the flight?" Jay's voice demanded and I nervously brought my two-toned gaze to his dark one. That had always been the main difference between us. Even with the clashing hair and skin color it was always the eyes that made people question if I was even brought home to the right home the day I was born. While Jay's gaze was dark and melting, mine was cold and sharp with the strangest of blues and violets warring against the other in my right eye with variety of forest greens in my left eye. I had a genetic mutation in my eyes called heterochromia iridum. It made my eyes two different colors, something that most couldn't seem to comprehend. I was ridiculed about it in school and on the playground during the weekends. Some say that I was a witch for having such a problem while others thought it was worthy of being made fun of because I wasn't like the others.

I tended to ignore what people thought after awhile.

"Jay…" I started, not really sure how to talk to him seeing how it was the first time in weeks that he had spoke to me almost civilly. He rolled his eyes and turned back toward the window muttering about the plane almost being boarded. I turned my head to the front to stare at the small screen on the back of the seat in front of me. It had a small GPS that told when the plane would arrive to the given destination. The small virtual plane had a small red line that trailed behind it, as it grew closer to the state of Virginia from Washington.

"Attention all passengers, please put your seatbelts on and get ready for arrival at Washington-Virginia Airport." The pilot spoke into the loud speaker and I hurriedly buckled my seatbelt while waiting for the stressful landing of the already shaking plane. I held onto the armrest and closed my eyes, breathing deeply through my nose. Plane landings tended to make me worry about any disastrous outcome. I had read enough stories about bad landings to know what would happen if the plane made a bad move. I gripped the seat tighter and jumped when I felt a large, warm hand fall onto mine. My eyes popped open and my gaze landed on the soft stare of Jay's eyes, a comforting hot chocolate color. He nodded his head and turned back to the window. I stared at the seat in front of me and squeezed my eyes closed as the rather large bump shook my small body.

Jay's hand tightened slightly and I relaxed as the bright lights from the airport runway bled through the hazy fog of Virginia. The pilot thanked us for riding on Continental Airlines and the other passengers clapped at the successful landing of the plane. I sighed and went to unbuckle my seatbelt when the warm hand on mine stopped me from doing so. I looked at Jay and saw a slight frown on his face before he loosened his grip after a final squeeze. Perhaps mission Get Jay to Open Up was working.

"We will be talking on the way to Shelly's," he finally spoke and then stood up abruptly before grabbing the carry on items from the bunker above. Jay wasn't one for respecting his elders and it showed by the way he spoke of Grandma Shelly. I looked, shocked as he moved swiftly through the emptying plane. I scrambled for my bag and ran after him. The airport was a good half hour away from the town itself so it seemed Jay wanted to get whatever he needed off his chest now.

We easily slipped to the bagging and grabbed the black suitcases that held our most treasured items. Jay said that we would need to sell what we could because we couldn't bring it all with us but it still hurt to see precious childhood memories go to people who could care less about the sentiment of the item.

As we walked to the exit of the airport, and toward a bright yellow taxi, the sight of the blonde headed flight attendant caught my attention. What was she doing off of the plane? Wasn't she supposed to stay behind? I stopped to see where she was going but a sharp pull on my arm had me trailing behind my towering brother. I shot a glance to the blonde woman again, but when I looked, she was gone.

Flight Attendants POV

"You know I really don't see why you had me stalk the prissy little baby _all the way _from Washington. We could have easily stalked her from here. I hate having to wait on these dull humans," I spoke almost annoyed at the over persistence of my brother. But when he wanted something he got it. And it seemed that the dark haired, freaky-eyed girl had caught his attention. _But why_?

"_Oh please Bekah, don't act out now the plan's nearly finished. I just have to get my hands on dear old Grandma Shelly. Then the plan will be in motion and you won't have to watch the girl for all I care_," Nik spoke in a condescending way, almost teasing. I pursed my lips and fumbled with the over dramatic outfit I was wearing. _At least she's easy on the eyes_.

"What could you possibly want to do with the little mouse? Sure her eyes are freaky but come on," I spoke annoyed. Why did it seem like every girl that looked like someone form the past caught his undeniable attention. But it seemed like the little mouse had more appeal to him than the dear Elena. _Wh_y_?_

_ "Oh dear sister, you amuse me so. Have you smelled the girl? Have you really looked at her? You've seen her eyes, yes?"_ Nik seemed to be making fun of me in a way, almost as though I was missing on an important clue that would lead me straight to the answer.

"What? Yeah her eyes are cool, she smells delightful, and she looks like our dearest friend but that doesn't mean anything. There's always a doppelgänger roaming around. What makes her so special?" I was getting annoyed with his games. He tended to do this when he found my supposed ignorance an annoyance.

"_Oh Rebekah you have much to learn about our little mouse. She is special and will be taken into her powers perfectly once we sink our claws into her. You have nothing to worry about, leave it all to me. Please do call me when she arrives, I would like to visit our dearest friend when she comes home," _Nik had a way of making me angry and sympathetic at the same time. The darling Darcy Vaz had the identical appearance to the close friend of ours back in the human days. Except for her eyes. Our dearest friend had the darkest of brown and Darcy, well she had two different colors. _So strange…_

I went to reply to Nik but the beep signaling the hanging up of the phone had me stop short and glare at the small device in my hand. A small crack appeared where my hand squeeze to hard and I sighed in annoyance. Time for the cat to stalk the mouse. Again.


	2. The Dead House

So new chapter if not a little late. I haven't had a computer and this weekend has been crazy with Memorial Day and such. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Review and leave comments about what you want to happen next. I do not own any part or thing in The Vampire Diaries. They all belong to their respective owners. I do own the Vaz family as well as any new characters not involved in the series or any other.

The sight of the pretty, blonde air hostess was a bit discomforting but my brain seemed to push it out of the way when Jay snapped his hand back and pulled my small figure toward him forcibly. He walked quickly and fluently, perfectly dodging the many people around us as well as keeping a strong grip on my hand as I was pushed and pulled through the tall, bulky people around us.

Since Grandma Shelly was fairly old, she hadn't been able to pick us up at the airport and had instead sent a taxi. Jay tugged extra hard on my hand and pulled me through the entry way of the airport while dropping the two suitcases on the pavement near the balding taxi driver's feet. Jay ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed lightly before pulling open the back door of the taxi and gesturing for me to get in first. I moved clumsily and pulled the light fleece jacket I wore tighter around my shoulders. Virginia winters had been getting tougher and tougher it seemed. I slid into the far left of the cab and pulled my knees to my chin, laying my head on them as I looked at the dreary Virginia weather. At least I would feel somewhat at home with the rain. The seat to my right bounced slightly as Jay entered and the slight shuffling behind us stopped as the cab driver slammed the truck shut. He bounced into the driver's seat and pulled out of the airport, waiting in a long line of traffic with matching yellow cabs and, for the rich, long black limos piled into the mix. I closed my eyes shut and concentrated on breathing in and out. The whole moving thing hadn't seemed real before but now, while we waited in the long line of traffic, it did.

Dad's death, said by the doctor himself, had been… odd. It was like the life was drained from his face and the small grey hairs that would occasionally pop up in his blonde hair had over grown every golden strand that ever grew from his scalp, in a day. Grey hair, the doctor stated, could not grow that fast. He had said it was virtually impossible. My brother was blank eyed and I was curled in a chair asking God why he had cursed our family so. The doctor also said that there wasn't a sign of heart attack or stroke, so the possibility of a sudden death by those means was impossible. They had called it a "cold case". It was so strange… so strange.

A sharp pull on my arm from the right side of the cab brought me from my thoughts and Jay's eyes glanced up at me to make sure I was paying attention before moving his gaze back to the seat in front of him. He let go of my arm and pulled the privacy wall between the cab driver and us. He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his blonde hair, making the thick strands flatten to his head. He didn't say anything for a while and I resumed to leaning against my knees and looking out to the gloomy weather outside. It seemed to take days before our cab escaped the madness and finally we set out to Mystic Falls. It was silent for most of the ride excluding the pattering rain and the sloshing of cars through puddles. My eyes closed and a peaceful slumber threatened to take over. It seemed like years since I had gotten a proper sleep.

"I'm sorry about…the last few months," Jay began and my eyes snapped back open and darted to his direction before they settled on the slight frown to his face, " I have been a horrible older brother and I haven't helped you through any of the things that have been going on lately. With the moving, dad dying, and just everyday bullshit it's been hard to concentrate on you and only you like I should have been."

I stayed quiet for a moment and let his words sink in. He felt sorry about not being there but he was always so angry…so angry.

"You were always so angry," I mumbled quietly, not wanting to provoke an argument while we were making progress.

"It was just so overwhelming; everything happening now," he spoke with the remorse of murderer and his bowed head indicated his sorrow, " It was all wrong, all of it. I shouldn't have allowed myself to blow up on you like that. I'm your older brother. I'm supposed to protect you, not harm you."

"Just don't yell anymore. It would scare me a lot when you got in those moods, like how dad would get into when him and mom were angry with each other."

Jay froze in his spot at the reminder of dad's dark moments when he would drink too much. His jaw clenched and his hands tightened, as if he knew why mom and dad would argue. It was the alcohol, wasn't it?

"I know Darcy, I know. But I couldn't exactly help it," He said it as if someone else had made him angry, as if he had been given those emotions by some other outside force. What did he mean he couldn't help it? We were not in some sort of supernatural movie where people controlled others. This was the real world and Jay's admission made me angry, furious even.

"What do you mean you couldn't help it? You were the one that was always picking fights not me! You controlled how you felt so don't you dare tell me you couldn't help it. Don't you dare make yourself the victim," I spoke loudly and the more I spoke the more the anger flew through my words. As I spoke, the darkening of Jay's eyes went unnoticed by me and I was suddenly tired, as if all the anger I had felt had somehow escaped my body until I was numb. Jay on the other hand, looked furious and his emotions seemed to almost resemble mine. But…how?

"Darcy, I think it would be prudent if you kindly shut your mouth now before I break my promise," he spoke venomously. He voice was dark and deep, almost animalistic and my eyes widened a fraction. He was so angry, but why? He had no right to be angry; he made this whole thing happen- the arguments, the fights, the hateful words. He was breathing deeply through his nose and out through his mouth, like he was calming himself down. I stared at him, confused.

I would have questioned his very questionable behavior had the cab not slammed to a stop in front of a blue Victorian house. The house was… old to say nicely. Its paint was peeling from the side and what seemed to once be a pretty deep blue was now a fading greyish sky blue. The house was big to say the least, but that thought didn't exactly compliment it either. The house may have been huge buts its exterior was rotting and moldy, as if Grandma Shelly hadn't hired work it centuries. The lawn was dead and what could have been flowers years ago were now shriveled up, brown weeds. The house honestly looked like a cemetery; everything around it was dead. I looked at Jay and he had placed the same indifferent mask he always wore back on his face. Somehow, I was hoping that our little chat would reveal the problems that were so oblivious between us. Instead, it only seemed to make things worse. The cab driver pulled an umbrella from the back and opened the car door after Jay opened the privacy divider. The balding man gingerly opened my door and held the black umbrella above my head to shield me from the downpour around us. I thanked him quietly and turned back to the dead house I would live in for the rest of my adolescence.

I heard Jay's door open and the slight scuffle of his boots against the gravel of the street. The click of the trunk made me turn and see Jay taking out my suitcase, but leaving his own inside the trunk. I looked on in confusion as he slammed the trunk back into place and dropped the case into my freezing hands. He then sighed and pulled the umbrella up to his height so he could also be shielded from the rain. He looked down at me and his hard mask softened slightly as he looked into my two-toned eyes.

"Why are your things still in the trunk?" I asked with a meek voice, still frightened from the dark encounter in the cab. His eyes softened at my tone and he pushed a few strands of my black hair from my face in a comforting way.

"I won't be staying here with you and Shelly. I have an apartment on the other end of town and I'll be staying there for now. I'll probably see you tomorrow so that I can drop you off at school and everything but for now I have to do some things with this new job I've got," his confession shocked me. He wasn't staying with Grandma Shelly and I? Why hadn't he told me earlier? And school? I didn't even want to think of the horrors that awaited me tomorrow.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why wait until now?" I asked sadly. I had wanted to spend time with my brother seeing as he had always been out when we lived in Burlington, Washington. The chances of seeing him for more than an hour were almost slim to none.

"I didn't want to stress you while we were on the plane and I guess I was too busy this morning to tell you. You'll be fine without me," he spoke with a positive certainty. But the odd glint in his eye told me that what he was saying wasn't the whole truth at all.

"Will I get to see you ever? Will we get to-" I was abruptly cut off by the loud ringing of his cell phone. He stopped looking at me and frowned at the caller ID. I tried to catch a glimpse at who it was but he had already put the call to voicemail. He looked back up at me and dropped the umbrella back into my hand before quickly moving back toward the cab.

"Listen, Darcy, I have to go but I'll see you tomorrow morning for school. Shelly should have already registered you and everything so all you need is your schedule. I'll talk to you later, yeah?" he spoke fervently and whipped the door open and before speaking an address to the driver. The man nodded and put the car into drive.

Before the car left, Jay stood out of the car between the door and the seat and said, " And remember Darcy, don't invite anyone into the house unless you know them from school ok? And please listen to me this time. It's very important that you do as I say," He spoke quickly but firmly and my head nodded in acquiesce. He nodded his head approvingly and went back into the cab. But one last time he popped up and spoke these words with more force than the others, " And Darc, don't go outside at night," before he and the cab disappeared into the misting rain and fog. I held the umbrella above my head tighter and bent down the pick up the suitcase beside me before turning back to the old house. I sighed before walking down the cobblestone path, which could have been pretty if it wasn't overgrown with weeds. The front door was large and the framing around it was moldy and fraying like the rest of the house. There was a large knocker on the top of the door held by a dull, golden lion. I stood on the tips of my toes before pounder the gold ring against the dark wood of the door. Waiting for my guardian to answer. The rattling of the doorknob almost made my heart stop.


	3. How Dreary We Are

Hey guys, I've had a lot more free time recently so I'm probably going to be updating a bit more frequently (like today) so I hope you enjoy and review to give me some feedback. Also, Grandma Shelly is based off of the grandmother on _Flowers in the Attic_ as well as most of her behavior toward Darcy. Constructive criticism is always welcome but don't hate on the story too much . Enjoy!

Disclaimer- I do not own any material that involves The Vampire Diaries or any of the places that may be mentioned in the story. I also don't own any material I might use from Flowers in the Attic. Those books also belong to their rightful owners. I, however, do own Darcy, Jay, Grandma Shelly, and any other characters that are not part of The Vampire Diaries trilogy.

She wasn't exactly what I was expecting when I had opened the door. I remember her vaguely from my early childhood, and this woman before me was the exact opposite. When I was 8, my parents, Jay, and I would fly out to Mystic Falls to visit each summer. Grandma Shelly had been a fairly sweet, old woman with slightly graying brown hair and crinkling blue eyes. She had wrinkles on her face but even through the aging on her face, my youthful mind could see that she had been a beauty when she was young. Grandma Shelly had the same blue eyes as my mother, but they glinting oddly each time she looked at me, something that mom's never did. Grandma Shelly hadn't greeted me warmly at first; she would occasionally sneer in my direction but would plaster the same sweet smile to her face. After that first meeting with my maternal grandmother, she had warmed up to me slightly and her azure gaze no longer remained glued to the two different colors of my eyes and the feeling of acceptance remained throughout the years. I hadn't seen much of Grandpa Erik, he had remained in the tight confines of his room do to a bacterial disease that went left untreated. Mom told me to never go up onto the second floor, and like the obedient child I was, I listened.

Somehow, even when I first met Grandma Shelly at such a young age, I could conjure up the image of her sneering face right at this moment. She wore the same expression as she dragged her cold eyes up my body, from my torn jeans, muddy converse, and baggy sweater, to my two-toned gaze. Her eyes sharpened slightly and her face pulled further into her criticizing thoughts. I remained still as she glanced down at my suitcase and up to my soaked, dark hair. She widened the door a fraction and gestured for me to come in. Surprisingly, the interior of the house wasn't as rotting as the exterior. A large rug covered the wooden floors and a large staircase stood straight ahead of me. To the left and right were large arches that led to a parlor and a family room, each furnished with the most delicate of items. Since I had visited grandmother's house when I was young, many memories from the home went lost in my mind.

"I was expecting you much earlier. Your plane was meant to land at 4:00 and you arrived here at 7. So tardy and uncaring you are, just like your father," she said venomously, almost in resentment toward my father and me. I staggered back a step, but stopped at that. I wouldn't let her bully me like she used to. If she didn't want me here, than why did she offer?

"Exc-cuse me?" I spoke shakily. The topic of my father was still rough waters in me. I hadn't fully accepted what had happened and sometimes, I expected him to come bursting through those rotting oak doors and yell curse after curse at Grandma Shelly like he used to. But dad didn't come barging through the door and there was no one to defend my actions. Not even Jay, whom I had hoped I would be able to confide in.

"You hear me, girl. Late and unorganized just like your father. He was always doing things half way, never fully finishing what he started, and would always seem to disappoint in the end. I really expected you to learn your lesson by now. You would think…" she trailed off but my mind was somewhere else. Not in the room and not even in my own head. It was like I was in someone else's…_hers_. But somehow I knew that wasn't true either. It couldn't be, but the images, the slapping, the whipping, and the belt…_that belt_! The images of belts and angry glares and bruises whipped through my head and my eyes seemed to capture her azure ones. Her gaze darted back and forth from each of my eyes, trying to figure out which one to stare into. I tilted my head and took a step toward her but, surprisingly, she stepped back away from my advance. I took another step and she took another back. As Grandma Shelly's back hit the rotting front door a loud knocking interrupted our showdown and abruptly ended the transfer of energy from both our persons. She shivered as the tension released and her face returned to its sneering menace. She turned her tall but shriveling body toward the door, fixed her perfectly placed gray hair back into place, and plastered a smile upon a wrinkled face. The same smile I was positive could have fooled anyone.

As she swung open the door, a bumbling man around his mid-30s stood in the sea of rain with a small package in his hands. He shielded his face with his hand and handed a clipboard to grandmother as she looked on in confusion. She signed the package nonetheless with a gratifying smile; at least that's what the UPS guy thought he saw. She closed the door with one more delicate wave that no woman like my grandmother could pull off and closed the withering door. She paused at the door after closing it and glanced at the package in her hands before stiffening. She tucked it tight to her body and stole a glance in my direction, thinking uncouth thoughts towards my person. She finally turned her whole body around, the old, purple, floral dress she wore moving with her action. Her icy eyes turned to me and the box crinkled slightly under the pressure of her demanding hands.

"You will not speak back to me, girl. Actions will always reap consequences. Good ones aren't usually common with devil spawn like you. You will sleep, eat, and bathe on your side of this house only. I don't want to have more unfortunate encounters with you. Your side of the house is up those stairs and to the left. Failure to comply with my rules and your deeds will receive the appropriate reactions; now off to bed," She ended and tucked the package further into the crook of her arm so that I couldn't see the name or address of the sender. Grandmother seemed to almost purposely hide the packages information from me. But why? Was it for me?

I watched as she continued through one of the large arches to the left as she loosened her grip on the box almost immediately after she had passed me. Her walk was menacing in a way. She had an air of authority about her that made me cower to her demands, even if it meant giving up my pride. I looked up the large staircase and slowly made my way to the first step. With my suit case in one hand and my umbrella in the other, I stepped lightly on the first step. The responding _creak_ echoed throughout the house and made me cringe. Sneaking out at night wouldn't be particularly easy. I continued up the stairs and cringed at ever _creak _and _squeak_ the floorboards made, imagining grandmother listening as she sipped a cup of tea and stared deviously at that package of hers.

Once at the top, I turned left to go to my side of the house but stopped when I saw the right side of the staircase. Why had grandmother forbid me from going to that side? Was there something hidden there? And what was with the 'devil spawn' talk? I wasn't a devil child. Mother had always spoken of how angelic I could be. But that was mother and this was Grandma Shelly, the women whom, up until my mother had defended me, always striked me whenever I did something wrong. Leaving that curiosity for another time, I continued left until I hit the first door on the right side of the large hallway. It was a thick door and made the same _squeak _noisethat the stairs made. I guess sneaking out of my bedroom was a no. The door creaked open and a small bathroom only holding the necessities. I guessed it was used for guests that didn't have a bedroom and just needed to use the bathroom. I closed the door and continued on my way, looking for an appropriate bedroom.

Many doors presented themselves and each one led to different rooms each holding a king sized bed and elegant furnishing with expensive looking designs of lace and floral. At the end of the hall was a large oak door at least two times bigger than my height. I pushed the door open with mild force and glanced around. The walls on the left and right were a calming cream and the rest were decorated with designs of blood red roses and emerald green vines, intertwining and intersecting at different angles. The furniture was dark wood and the bed had a silky touch as I sat down on it. A light touch of grey coated the dark furniture indicating that the maids had left this room alone, not bothering to clean it. Finding the room I wanted, I pushed my suitcase next to the dresser so it was out of the way and looked around the room for the closet and bathroom. A smaller but equally large oak door led to a full master bath equipped with a large porcelain tub, sink, and toilet. A shower was pushed against one wall and a large mirror stood behind the sink. I walked out and grabbed my suitcase before lugging it to the bed. I pushed it up and began the process of putting my clothes into the drawers. Once finished I placed the suitcase on the shelves in the closet and collapsed on top of the memory foam bed. For place that looked so dead and barren on the outside sure had luxuries on the inside.

Staring at the ceiling, I tried to conceal the thoughts that threatened to fill my mind; thoughts that I had purposely pushed to the back of my mind and out of my body until they were no longer a part of me. But now, without the comfort of a warm body next mine, the body that had been Jay before he got angry, my mind couldn't push the thoughts of death and regret out of my head. _My fault…_

I shuttered in my place on the bed and brought my hands to my face, covering my palms on my eyelids, closing my eyes and letting out a stuttering cry. I sniffed and breathed deeply, willing the thoughts away. But they wouldn't go, not this time. But why wouldn't they go away? I had been doing it for months and months after dad died. Why not now? The feeling of month old anger pulsed through my veins; anger that had been what started the last conversation between my dad and I. We had been arguing over the stupidest thing: Prom's after party. I had gotten so angry; so angry. And he had seemed so scared of me at that moment… _so scared… of me_. Fragments of his words rang through my head like a nightmare.

"_Darcy…sweetheart…you…can't…angry…please…calm down…Darcy,"_ the last time he had said my name had been in a whimper motion before he collapsed to the tile floor in a heap. I had stood there, hopelessly staring. I think that's why Jay hates me now, because I had sat there and stared at his aging body without calling 911. He had said with anger that if I had called dad would have lived. It _my_ fault he claimed…_my fault._ I stared in shock at the ceiling. I stared in shock at the ceiling. _Yes_, a voice in my head hissed. _Your fault_, it whispered in resentment. I rolled over on the bed and clenched my eyes closed, biting my fist and tightening my grip on the silky sheets below me. Jay hating me, grandmother hating me, dad dying…_my fault._

A knock on the door signaled the arrival of another person and I frantically wiped at the tears I hadn't realized were there and cleared my throat before giving the person at the door consent to enter.

A middle-aged woman entered the room and her almond eyes landed on me immediately. She smiled softly before pulling small metal cart behind her. On top held a small platter of food and drink.

"The mistress has asked me to bring you the leftover food from dinner earlier. You came a bit late you see so had to put the plate we set out for you away in the fridge until you arrived. Once your finished you can just place the cart outside your door and one of the other maids will come and retrieve it," she spoke soothingly but the way she said retrieve reminded me of a dog. This woman was no dog.

"Thank you miss…" I trailed off and my mood lightened when she beamed at my invitation for her name.

"Borbley. Jessica Borbley. And it's really no problem Miss Vaz," she spoke with a light kindness that gave me hope for this dark home.

"Oh please do call me Darcy Miss Borbley," I insisted and, if possible, her grin widened to impossible lengths, as she replied,

"Only if you call me Jes. It was nice to meet you Miss Darcy and I would love to sit and chat but Miss Lockwood is very strict, as you know. I'll come by later to collect your things. Have a nice night," she smiled lightly and locked her brown eyes with the two tones of mine, fishing into the different depths of the different colors. Satisfied with whatever she was looking for, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving the cart behind. I got up from my seat and looked at the food. Typical roasted chicken, vegetables, and starches were presented as well as a small glass of apple juice. I pulled the cart over toward the desk and placed the plate on top, eating my dinner.

After I was finished, I pushed the cart outside in the hall before closing the door and turning to the alarm clock on the side table, 9:57. I sighed and decided to shower in the morning, lord knows I won't get rest tonight. The promise of school, Jay, and grandmother all bunched in my head along with the all-consuming thoughts of death and remorse.

I tugged on a large flannel, it belonged to dad, and tugged the sheets on top of my body, the silk cooling down my body till I was snuggling more into the soft pillows to get warm. As I closed my eyes, the echoing of dad's pleas held a permanent residence inside my head.

AUTHORS NOTE: So it seems that Grandma Shelly is actually part of the Lockwood Family. We all know the Lockwoods have a long history of supernatural. What could this _possibly _have to do with the Vaz Family? READ and FIND OUT! Review please


	4. The Room of Dust and Mystery

Hey so sorry about the late posting of the third chapter, I didn't have a computer for awhile so it took me some time to get it finished with the amount that I wanted. Thank you to those who review, it boosts my confidence and drive to write this story the best way possible

Darcy's Locket: 000/0/5399173/il_570xN.

Darcy's Outfit:

energy_drawing_darcy_chapter/set?id=124796760

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Dollanganer (Flowers in the Attic) series nor do I own The Vampire Diaries. I do own the Vaz Family and any other characters that don't revolve around TVD or FITA.

The pattering of the rain had stopped around midnight making my body wake up do to the lack of noise. It was strange; I could sleep with the loudest of thunderstorms but not when it was silent. It was still dark out when I woke up but I blamed that on the dark curtains that lined the few windows that were in the bedroom. The small alarm clock on the bedside table read 5:30 and while I knew I had a good half-hour before I had to get up, the lack of sleep and the endless dreams made it impossible to fall back into the silky covers again. So, preparing for the cold air I knew awaited me, I pulled the blanket off my body and stepped onto the cold wooden floor. I rubbed my arms to ease the painful goosebumps that appeared and made my way to the large bathroom. Turning the knob, I admired the tub and walked over to the dark cabinet that sat in the corner of the bathroom. Pulling the door open, a noticed the lack of shampoo and body wash. The only bottles I could find available were what you would find in a cheap hotel room. I sighed and grabbed the old looking bottles and frowned at the slight decay I could see through the foggy bottle. A disgusted look past over my face and I threw the bottles in the garbage. I looked around the room and noticed the slight shade of gray that seemed to cling to the porcelain tub, toilet, and sink. I sighed and continued my search through the bathroom for _something_ usable to clean myself with.

When I found nothing, I walked back to the large room and shot a glance at the oak door that led to the hallway; surely there was a closet with _something_ in it. I breathed shakily and walked to the door, testing the knob and cringing when it made a slight _creak_ in response. I continued to twist the knob achingly slow and finally managed to unhinge the old door from the large frame it was placed on. I sighed in relief and popped my head out of the doorway. Seeing nothing, I tiptoed to the small door the lay partially hidden in the corner of the hallway. I looked behind me toward the large staircase that separated Grandma Shelly from myself and prayed to God that she wouldn't walk out; I didn't want another speech like the one from yesterday. When I didn't see her, I turned back to the small door and pulled it open. The hall was dark due to the lack of windows so seeing into the closet, or what I had thought was a closet, was hard. I maneuvered my hand forward, afraid to know what was inside, and was met with a slightly sticky, dusty texture. I frowned and pushed my hand further into the opening. This was most definitely not a closet. I walked forward a step and cowered my head at the slight tremor my foot made on the floor. I went to turn back to the hallway to see if it was still empty. A large knot formed in my stomach about the small, or whatever size it was, room and I decided at that moment that if she wasn't there or if a noise wasn't made on that side of the staircase, I would investigate my discovery. I turned my head. Nothing. Swallowing loudly, I walked forward, stepping lightly as to not make a bunch of noise.

The further I walked into the room, the lighter it seemed to get until finally I could see a light air of dust around. I bumped into what seemed to be another staircase and as I walked up, the light started to return, due to the small window that lay at the top of the new stairs. Once at the top, my breathing got heavy with dust particles and the smell of molding paper. Wooden chairs, bookcases upon bookcases, old toys, and many _many_ papers lay scattered around the room, all holding the same dusty shade. I stared in awe at the room. It was so… so _strange._ The rest of the house had been completely modernized, or as modernized as grandmother would allow, with the few exceptions being my wing and clearly this room. But why would she leave it completely shattered and destroyed. Mother had lived here as a child. Perhaps in this very room. Maybe that was why Grandma Shelly hadn't allowed it to be changed; maybe she wanted to preserve the memory of her only child. I smiled faintly and touched one of the old rocking horses. Walking around the room, I let my hand fall lightly on the aging yellow pages of some of the books on the dark cases. As I walked by, the binding on one books caught my attention. The binding itself was a dark brown color with leather strips holding the yellowed pages together. Pulling it out, a cloud of dust evaporated into my mouth a round of coughing resounded from me. Trying to keep quiet, I bit my lip hard and breathed deeply through my nose. When the fit stopped, I sniffed and looked at the cover of the book. What I saw surprised me. It wasn't a book at all; it had a smooth leather face with small letters engraved into the cover in some strange language, Latin perhaps.

A thick band wrapped around the sides of the book, preventing me from opening it and looking at its content. A medium sized dip held the two bands together, a dip that looked oh so familiar. The sudden weight of the locket my mother had gotten me when I was 10 suddenly came to mind. I yanked at the chain and held it up to the dip in the book. Feeling triumphant, I went to connect the two when I small gasp brought me back. Grandmother was here. Her eyes were large and frightened as she turned her eyes from my locket to the dark book in my hand. She suddenly became furious as she rushed her long legs forward, to do what I had suspected; take the book away from me. However, I turned left and walked backwards toward the entrance to the room and the small flight of stairs. She turned around and her cold eyes locked on the two tones of mine.

"You will give me that book and that necklace, girl. You will give it to me now or you will reap the consequences," her voice was dangerous and deadly as she slowly stepped forward with her right hand placed upside down, palm facing the high ceiling of the room. I shook my head and felt my eyes widen in large, scared pools of green and blue. Her gaze hardened even more and she took another threatening step toward me.

"Give that to me, _now._ Give it to me and your punishment won't be as severe," her gaze told me that there wasn't another way out but my body told me there was. I just had to… I had to… make her _stop_. I leveled my gaze with hers and stood bravely with the book and necklace tucked into my torso. When she saw that I wasn't giving up, she sighed angrily and stepped forward again, this time the length of her step longer than the other two. I took a step backward after she stepped closer and clutched the things in my arms tighter.

"Hand them over _now_!" her voice destroyed any bravery and courage I had and I cowered back with a bow of my head in surrender. Her voice…_her voice_… something about it was almost..._ inhuman_? I guess grandmother really was a devil, haha. And as my inner monologue spoke its pitiful joke grandmother had attacked and grabbed my dark hair in her hands, pulling it hard and making my hands drop anything and everything they were holding. As I tried to stop the fall, managing to only stop my locket, she yanked harder receiving a painful cry from me. Tears welled up in my eyes as she purposely dragged my head backwards.

"Drop it. Now," her voice was deadly low and my eyes widened in fear as the blue in her eyes glowed an unnatural azure color. I shook my head, wincing as the action pulling more strands of my dark hair from my head. She used her other hand to wrap her deathly cold hands around one of mine, and unfortunately the hand she chose held my most treasured item. Her grip on my hair and hand grew to unbearable levels and finally my body, although my mind continued to say there was another way, let go of the necklace. The vine-like engraving wrapped around the green stones disappeared from my view as she dropped it into her yellow dress. Her hand tightened in my hair before she pushed me back with a final pull. I gasped as she looked at the book on the ground. My body stood frozen and fearful of what could happen next.

"You didn't listen when I commanded you do and for that you _will_ be punished," she started as if it were a normal conversation we were having. My eyes blinked incessantly and I backed up more toward the staircase.

"From now on that door to your room _will_ be locked after dinner. You will have the necessities and Miss Borbley will attend to you when it is _important_ And only if it is important. You will not return to this room again and your punishment will continue after dinner tonight," she concluded and walked hauntingly down the stairs like an unwelcome ghost. I swallowed heavily and looked back toward the room. Suddenly, a cold, bony hand wrapped itself around my breakable wrist and pulled harshly. Almost falling down the steep stairs, I coughed up dust as I was shoved into my room and back to square one with nothing to clean myself with. I looked at the clock, 6:25, and sighed before running a hand through my messy hair. My fingers puled the tangles from the long locks as I searched the drawers and the large closet for an outfit to wear.

Since I wasn't feeling well already and the morning events had me regretting ever being born, I had decided to be lazy and grab a ripped pair of light jeans, a red and black flannel, a black tank top, and a pair of brown combat boots. Since I had no time to take a shower, I pulled my black hair into a messy bun and sighed as the shorter pieces of my bangs fell into my face. I didn't feel up to doing makeup, not that I ever really did, and applied a glob of mascara to each eyes before grabbing the brown messenger bag off a rack in the closet. I wasn't sure when Jay was supposed to come and pick me up so I stayed in my room, not wanting to have another encounter with the devil herself. I looked out the window and watched the dull street from the high vantage point. I almost cried when it started to rain again. Not because it was raining per say, more because it was _raining_. Rain was the daily weather back in Burlington, Washington and the memory of my normal life back at my _home_ made a tear or two fall from my face. _It's your fault you're here anyway. It's your fault that dad got hurt. It's your fault that Jay is mad at you. And it's your fault that grandmother caught you up in that room. _I sighed and lay back on the comfortable bed. If only I could fall asleep right now. If only…

"Ms. Darcy? Are you in here? I brought up some breakfast," the sound of Jessica's voice brought me out of my depressing thoughts as a small smile built on my face. She was my only light in this darkness.

"Please come in Jessica," I croaked and I cleared my throat to get rid of the ache in my throat. An ache I knew was responsible because of the tears that still sat on my cheeks. She opened the door and a silver cart pulled in with a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. She smiling like it was a beautiful morning with the gap between her teeth showing brightly as her blonde hair bounced in its ponytail. I wish she could transfer some of that positive energy to me. This morning had been bad enough and just the thought of what was to come in the next hour had me breathing heavily.

"Ms. Darcy I brought what was left over from this morning, Mrs. Lockwood was waiting for you but you took too much time in this room of yours. Although if I were you I would stay here forever. You know these curtains were- wait what happened? Why are you crying?" She asked, interrupting herself from whatever she was going to say about the curtains. So grandmother had been waiting for me? At 5:30 in the morning? I guess waking up wasn't going to stop her from finding me at any point.

"I was just looking for some shampoo and body wash and I thought that little room at the end of the hall was a closet- the door was so small you know? – So I opened the door to look inside but there was a staircase instead. And- a-and…" I trailed off, my voice trembling and my speech sporadic as I pushed the words out of my mouth. My breathing quickened as the sound of grandmother's voice echoed in my ears. _Your punishment will continue after dinner… you're a devil's child… YOU WILL REAP THE CONSEQUENCES! _

Suddenly I couldn't breathe and the air around me got thicker and thicker until only a small percentage could pass through my nose. When breathing through my nose didn't work, I breathed deeply through my mouth, only to have the air be pushed out as a small hand found its way to my back, patting it as if I were a baby coughing. And that's when I realized I was; coughing that is.

"Breathe Ms. Darcy. Breathe. You need to just breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, okay? Just breathe," I did as she said and the small hand lightly stroking my back made my head calm and my heart stop its raging drum-like music underneath my skin. When I could finally breathe again, the small hand found its way to the messy bun my hair had just previously been put in to. I sighed in content as she massaged my scalp with her long nails. It was something my mother had done whenever I would get my asthma. Her calm voice and long fingers had helped me breath normally again; something that medicine ever quite did.

"It's just… I just… I wish that he was _here_," Dad's face flashed hazily into my head and a flood of tears drenched Jessica's black blouse. She squeezed tighter and tighter until the sound of a horn honking brought my attention away from what was happening to the window next to the bed we sat on. I turned toward the curtained and saw Jay standing outside of what seemed to be a black Dodge truck. I sighed and turned back toward Jessica. Her eyes were sympathetic but something lay in the under toning of her chocolate eyes. Something..._strange_. I seemed to be using that word a lot now.

"I guess you have to go. But when you get home… just. I'm always here for you if you need it. Just call and I'm here," Jessica beamed a bright smile and the action made one appear on my face as well, although it probably looked as fake as a Barbie doll. I went to reply but another especially long and loud beep brought my attention back to my brooding brother. I winced at the noise, afraid that grandmother would come into my room and hit me again. However, she didn't and with another loud beep I unfolded myself from Jessica and waved to my brother to let him know I was coming down. I turned to Jessica, but when I did turn, she was gone. I frowned and found the silver cart was still there with a small note attached.

_Ms. Darcy,_

_It would seem that you have to leave for school and since you didn't have time to eat, you could bring this with you to school. Cant learn on an empty stomach is what my mother always said. I'm going to talk to the Misses today. I'll see you after school._

_Much love,_

_Jessica_

I smiled at the letter and looked at the small plate wrapped in a plastic sheet of wrap. I took the plate, grabbed my bag, and headed out into the hallway again. I looked down grandmother's corridor. Not a sound echoed and the only movement was the curtain from an open window. I walked down the stairs, avoiding the weak and creaky spots to keep silent. I checked my bag and made sure I had enough money, clearly I needed to do some shopping.

"It's about time you got out here. I've been honking for 15 minutes. What were you doing anyway?" Jay asked accusingly and I shifted my gaze to the small bruise on my pale hand. I tucked my fingers into the flannel I wore and brought my eyes back to his. His own chocolate eyes darted between the blue and green of mine and I couldn't help the stab in my stomach. My own brother couldn't keep his gaze off of the freakish nature of my anatomy.

"Grandmother was just giving me lectures on school and such. Nothing important. Besides, you don't live here anyway so it shouldn't matter," I replied nonchalantly. Deliberately leaving out this morning's events, I walked around the large truck to the passenger side. I tried pushing myself into the truck as Jay got behind the wheel, but the truck was up higher than I had anticipated and my lack of height made it difficult for me to climb up without the small step that was usually there. An annoyed sigh left Jay's lips as he stepped out of the truck and headed toward the passenger door. He heaved me up and pat my head like a dog.

"I would be the one to end up with a sister the size of an elf, wouldn't I short stack?" He replied humorously as if it were the best joke that was ever said. I rolled my eyes and pulled my bag onto the floor, unwrapping the breakfast that lay in front of me. I nearly drooled as the smell of bacon blew up my nose. I grabbed a piece and slapped at Jay's hand when he went to steal a piece.

"You ready for school?" he asked and I gulped down the rest of the breakfast. I choked slightly at the realization. School.

"Uh, y-yeah. Of course," I stuttered and kept my eyes ahead of me toward the road as we passed through the town square. I felt his prodding gaze, but I held my ground and refused to capture his gaze with mine.

"You sure?" Jay questioned, and I knew I had to convince him I was fine. He had a lot on his mind, clearly, and I didn't want to burden him with my problems.

"Yeah. I always wanted to go to a new school you know? It'll be like an adventure," I replied and a noticeably fake smile wrapped around my mouth. He looked doubtfully in my direction as I fiddled with the paper plate in my lap.

"You will tell me if anyone gives you a hard time, right? Don't let them say _anything_ about you. Okay?" he spoke passionately and the protective older brother I knew and loved came back to me in that moment. I wiped at my eye and nodded my head. He nodded too and turned into what seemed to be the school entrance. My heart thudded in my chest as I attempted to catch my breath. I breathed in and out like Jessica had shown me as my heart and slowly me thudded back into an almost normal tempo.

"Yeah. Okay, Jay. I promise," I pretended to agree to his conditions so that he would leave but it always seemed like he couldn't keep me from going without finding a lie in whatever I said. For good measure, I held his gaze and pushed a bit to make him believe me. Suddenly, his attitude changed and he nodded his head the exact way I had picture in my head… weird.

"I'll pick you up after school. Have a good day," he promised and his good luck almost made me feel jinxed. Today was not going to be good at all. I smiled again and hopped from the truck. I turned to say goodbye and add an 'I love you' but the truck was already leaving the lot when I closed the door. I turned back to the brick building that was Mystic Falls High and walked slowly toward where large groups of students entered. Heavy stares weighed me down and made walking hard but I pressed on to the cement stairs that led to the front entrance. As I entered, nameless people openly stared in my direction and I knew exactly what they were looking at. My eyes. I kept my head high and though of Jay's words. _Don't let them say anything about you._ I smiled at his comforting words but my smile broke as a large body pushed past me, knocking my smaller frame forward into a girl dressed in a red cheer uniform. She gave me a disgusted look and openly stared at my two-toned eyes, judgment an oblivious emotion in her blue-green eyes. Her blonde hair, styled to perfection stood bright and shiny looking like gold compared my coal black hair. I backed up and went to say sorry but another shove to the right left me dangling in the hall. More shoves from unsuspecting students pushed me further down the hall and further away from the main office. Suddenly a large hand wrapped itself around my arm pulled me away from the traffic of bustling students.

"Need some help there?" A voice asked. I looked up and green eyes and brown hair invaded my eyes. He looked perfect compared to the boys that had shoved me, kinder too. His eyes zeroed in on mine, studying them before smiling an honest smile back at me. I smiled back as he let go of my arm and shook my hand.

"Darcy Vaz," I stated and shook my hand gently with his. He beamed and shook back slightly harder and more forceful.

"Stefan Salvatore. Did you need help getting somewhere?" he asked and I sighed in relief at his offer of help.

"The main office, please?" I responded and he looped his arm through mine before tugging me down the hall of loud students. Something behind those green-brown eyes had me wanting to tug my arm away from his though. No matter the bright smile that lingered on his face, he was strange and gave me an uneasy feeling. A feeling I wanted to get rid of.

"Right this way," And he tugged me back down the hall past the girl in the cheerleader and toward the sign that read **MAIN OFFICE**.

"Here you are. If you need any help I should always be around so just give me a holler," and although his statement reeked of sincerity, I couldn't help but feel like that knot at the bottom of my stomach was warning me about something. Something important.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine," I shrug his arm off my shoulder and hold onto my bag tighter. This boy had a problem. A problem I didn't want to fix.

"Well, until next time," he mock bowed and if I hadn't suspected he was some sort of teenage psychopath I might have laughed at the gesture.

"Yeah. Sure," I turn to the door of the office and turn back to Stefan to see him staring at me in a sort of trance. He shook out of it and walked down the hallway, glancing once over his shoulder as he turned around a corner. I watched him walk away and shuddered. Something told me I would be seeing him a lot sooner than I felt comfortable with.


	5. Things Have Gotten Complicated

Dear Readers,

So I know the last one was a bit late but as of now I'm going to be trying to make the chapters a bit longer. So although the chapters may be updated in uneven intervals, they will have better edited content and will be longer. Thanks for the reviews, they keep me going . Hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh and there is a slight warning for a couple major curse words in here. Sorry if you don't like it but I had it incorporated sue to the personality of a certain character.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any other material that clearly does not belong to an average girl like me. I do own Darcy and her family however.

I decided to have Lily Collins play Darcy just to have an idea on how to describe her. You can picture her in any way you wish but that is my personal preference. Just imagine her with black hair and the heterochromia iridium

The office was stuffy when I entered with a variety of posters, banners, and sign-up sheets cluttering the sky-blue walls and the dark front desk. Most of the room was crowded with older women answering phone calls and teachers collecting their mail from the small box on the wall. I turned to the front desk where a woman with bright orange hair sat typing vigorously on an old looking computer. I walked over to the desk, unsure of what to do and cleared my throat loud enough to catch her attention. Her eyes popped above the round glasses on her nose as she squinted to see if she was staring at was what she was really seeing. Oh right, my eyes. Many people would stare and stare to make sure that what they saw wasn't a trick. Most people would blow it off and mutter about how they needed to get their eyes check and how they were "seeing things". She turned the computer chair more towards me and lifted her head completely. Her eyes were a pretty forest green and her skin held a clutter of brown freckles, dusting across her nose and cheekbones. She looked sweet, that is until she spoke.

"Is there something you need?" she asked, and her voice held an odd sort of annoyance that was reserved for teenagers only. My eyes widened and I swallowed, nervous suddenly. I coughed and brought my head further up to gaze into her hard eyes. I stuttered with my answer but was somehow pushed the words form my suddenly tight lips.

"I-I'm the erm, the new s-student? My grandmother should have called yesterday. My name's Darcy Vaz?" I felt like slapping myself after that response. I sounded like some kind of mouse. Each sentence I spoke came out like a question with a heavy under toning of uncertainty. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the computer, looking for my name on the list of whatever she was looking at. She chomped at her gum loudly and the sound of printing paper, tapping computer keys, and quiet coughs distracted me from the strange stares of the workers in the office. The woman, whose nametag read Ashlyn, turned her annoyed face my way and chomped louder on that annoying piece of gum.

"Sorry- was it Daisy?- your name isn't in the registration log on the school's directory. You're going to have to go to town hall and get registered. Come back tomorrow and I'm sure we would be able to help you," she gave me a sickly smile that said she wasn't sorry at all for what happened.

"It's Darcy, but uh surely there's a way to register here, right?" I really didn't feel like leaving school to venture into a town I didn't quite know or really care to know.

"Sorry, darling, there isn't anything else I can do for you," she smiled again and the urge to rip that perfect expression from her face overwhelmed my senses. I breathed in and out and focused on calming myself down.

"Now if you would excuse me, I'm going to have to ask you to leave and come back to school tomorrow," she turned back to whatever she was doing on her computer before, completely ignoring my pleading gaze. I scoffed and her eyes slightly turned toward me.

"Where exactly do I get this registration form again?" I asked annoyed. I bet my life that there was something that she could do right _now_ without much of a hassle.

"At the town hall. I told you this already. just go there and they'll tell you what to do. Now if you'll excuse me," she finished and permanently kept her gaze on the computer. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. Of course this would happen to me on my first day of school. I turned to leave the office and just go home, but the thought of returning to grandmother's had me turning around to look at the office for any guide to where I had to go.

"Do you need help?" a much kinder voice asked. I looked behind me and saw that the owner of the voice was an older woman with curly greyish hair and dark chocolate eyes. I sighed in relief and walked to the other side of the large counter.

"Yeah, I was supposed to be registered for school today but I guess my grandmother forgot to call or something. Umm, one of the other workers was telling me that there wasn't anything to do except go to the town hall and get registration papers. I'm new so I don't know where that is exactly," I laughed humorlessly and rubbed at my eye. It was then that I noticed that the older woman hadn't even taken a closer glance at my eyes. It made me feel more…normal.

"Yes well. You do need to get registration forms signed at the town hall. But you can have that all done by this afternoon without much hassle. Lucky for you, our principal at this school works for the town so he could sign the papers for you. The only problem is the class scheduling which does take some time. However, this town is smaller so your classes will be finished today," she stopped talking to turn to her computer, type something quickly, and grab a packet of papers to give me as she turned my way.

"Just get these signed by your guardian and come back here so that we can work out scheduling," she smiled brightly, a large contrast to that of Ashlyn. I smiled back slightly and took the papers, mumbling a "thank you" before walking out of the office and out of the school. Luckily, I walked out of the school before the bell signaling the end of first period went off. I smiled as the sun broke through the clouds and the cool breeze brushed a few strands of my dark hair away from my face. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

It was then that I had no idea where to go or how to get home. The smile fell off my face and my shoulders slumped in defeat. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Jay's number, hoping he would answer. Unfortunately, the number went straight to voicemail and his abrupt message on the other end left me stumped and clueless. I walked over to one of the many benches outside the school and watched as some cars drove down the bare streets of the small town. Closing my eyes and leaning back, I pulled my hair from the bun that held it up and dug my hands into the mess, pulling harshly on the soft strands.

I glanced at the packet and looked at the different things required: my information, guardian information, and the previous town and school name of where I previously went. I filled out what I could and looked around the small courtyard in front of the school, occasionally checking my phone for a call or text from Jay. When nothing showed I grumbled angrily and roughly stood up, walking down the sidewalk to where some of the shops were. There had to be _someone_ who knew where I had to go. A slightly large building came to view with a large sign reading **MYSTIC GRILL. **The building itself was green with taller trees surrounding it. I couldn't help but think that it should be closed at this hour in the morning but the sign reading **WE'RE OPEN** stopped that train of thought. Crossing the street I walked to the front door and pulled it open. It smelled like greasy food and alcohol as some of the few patrons there downed drinks. How strange for someone to get drunk so early in the morning. This town had some major issues.

"What's a mouse of a girl like you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the elementary school?" a sarcastic voice asked from my left. I scowled slightly and turned to the voice. The man speaking was… perfect to say the least. He was muscular, from what I could see, with black hair and cobalt blue eyes, rivaling those of my grandmother's. He wore a black leather jacket, dark jeans, and black boots as he downed a glass of what I assumed to be alcohol. He turned his head slightly my way and smirked slightly at my expression of awe. I closed my slightly open mouth and frowned angrily. I didn't look like I belonged in grade school did I?

"I'll have you know that I'm not some little girl nor am I a mouse," I responded to his inquiry of my appearance and bristled slightly at his description. I was not a mouse.

"You sure? You sure look like a mouse with that tangled hair and height deficiency," he commented and my eyes grew darker with anger as he talked about my height. I really wasn't that short, maybe 5' at least. I had seen people _much_ shorter than I who would be glad to be my height. I snapped my head up and glared right into his azure eyes. His own pair widened at my blunt glare and squinted at the two-tone color of my eyes. The blue pair of his darted back and forth between the green and blue of mine as he smirked, much to my annoyance.

"Well, well, well, you aren't the weak little mouse I thought you were, huh? But really you do need to work on that height of yours. Maybe some stilts could work for you, you know?" he said with a hint of sarcasm laying in his voice. I scoffed and pulled my hair through my fingers. When my hand couldn't make it all the way through due to tangles, I took the hair-tie on my wrist and pulled my hair back into a long ponytail.

"I'm not a _mouse_. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do so you can just go back to… whatever you were doing before you felt the need to bother yourself and I with your presence," I snipped back and turned toward the bartender, who was lightly smiling at our interaction. The man turned his face towards me after placing the glass he was cleaning down and snickered slightly at the annoying man next me.

"What can I help you with, darling?" he asked in a slight southern accent, something I found completely adorable. I smiled slightly and walked closer toward the bar, feeling the heavy gaze of the black-haired man next to me. H stood slightly on my toes to rest my elbows on the bar counter and placed the registration form on top.

"I have to register for Mystic High School and the woman told me that I have to get this signed by the town and a guardian. She told me that I could just have the principal sign it since he is part of the hall but she also told me I have to have my guardian sign it. I'm new here so I'm embarrassed to say that I don't quite know where I'm going yet," I sheepishly bowed my head and held the form between the tips of my fingers.

"I know the address home but I'm not sure how to get there. Would you be able to help?" I asked nervously and the man's dark eyes kindly twinkled with amusement.

"Sure, sweetheart. What's the address?" I breathed thankful and racked my brain for the name of the street grandmother lived on.

"Umm, it's 45 Jackin's Court," I thought hard and concluded that was the address and the man's eyes widened slightly in astonishment. He sputtered slightly and stared strangely into my eyes, looking deeply into them.

"You sure you got the right address? I mean I wasn't aware that anyone still lived at that house," he chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his brown hair, pulling at the gelled strands harshly.

"Yeah. That's definitely it, unless I got it wrong," I frowned and thought harder, searching my brain for the street that Jay had turned off of this morning on the way to school. I came up with the same address and wondered if coming to this bar was a mistake.

"Well the woman that lives there is a Sharyn Lockwood, but I remember going by the name of Shelly whenever I visited," I pondered and watched as his eyes widened more. He shook his head laughed without an inch of humor laced in it.

"How do you know Ms. Lockwood?" he asked and he nervously backed away from me, something both the blue-eyed man next to me and myself noticed. I frowned and sneakily glanced at the man beside me. He looked confused but also quite intrigued with the bartender's reaction.

"Well, she's my grandmother," I responded and as I spoke, the man dropped the glass he was anxiously cleaning, causing pieces of glass to shatter on the ground around him. He dropped to the ground and hurriedly cleaned up the mess with the rag he was cleaning the cup with. I frowned, becoming angry suddenly. Why couldn't people just answer the questions I asked without further complication? I felt my head steam slightly so I breathed in and out again. I faced the man as he scurried around the bar throwing the bits of glass away into a bin. When he returned, he squeaked at my annoyed expression and sweat started to drip down the side of his face as the heat of my gaze burned into his.

"Will you please just tell me where I have to go to get home?" my voice sounded harsher, almost older and more mature than what I normally sounded like. He visibly gulped and grabbed a pen and paper from his pocket hurriedly writing directions down on it.

"You j-just have to go down this street a-and turn left. After that you should c-come to an intersection. Just t-turn left a-and the house should get to the h-house at the end," he stuttered and I sighed in relief when he handed it over. My mood brightened with the help I received, I smiled brightly at his red face.

"Thank you very much…umm," I trailed off not knowing his name.

"Jack. J-Jack Thayer," he stuttered again and blinked many times as I smiled brighter at his response.

"Yes, thank you very much Jack Thayer. I'll see ya around," I waved and walked out of the building, not hearing the footsteps follow me outside, nor the heavy stare watch me leave. I looked at the shaky writing and turned the paper this way and that in order to understand what was written. When I could finally partially understand it, I took off down the indicated street. Well I tried to take off but a large hand clamping onto my shoulder stopped my progress. Confused I turned and saw the asshole from the bar holding onto my shoulder. He looked a lot more intimidating when he wasn't sitting as he stood with a height of 5'11". It was average height for a guy but he had at least 11 inches on me. I gulped and looked up at his sculpted face.

"That was a pretty brilliant show back there,_ darling_, you really aren't a baby mouse now are you?" he asked, amused with the situation. I frowned and pulled back, trying to get his hands off of me without much luck. He chuckled at my attempt and held on tighter.

"Aww, come on sweetheart, don't be so mean. I just wanted to give you a ride home to your _lovely_ abode," he said sarcastically and although I knew he wanted to give me a ride home, I had a feeling it wasn't to help me out. With further inspection of his posture and demeanor, I concluded that he wanted information. On what though? On my grandmother? On the house that wasn't supposed to have residents?

"I can get home by myself, thank you. Just like you said, 'I'm not a baby mouse', right?" I used his words against him and his fun gaze hardened to something more sinister. I back up but his hands stopped any movement as his eyes gazed deep into mine.

"_You will allow me to drive you home without question, won't you pretty eyes?" _ his voice was soothing and peaceful with a touch of heavy influence deep in its core. However, the feeling of something wrong tore me from his impossibly blue eyes and to the dark figure by one of the trees surrounding The Mystic Grill. My eyes squinted, trying to catch a better look at the tall figure behind us and suddenly, I didn't want to walk home alone. I looked up to see the dark-haired man looking at me curiously before following my gaze to the dark man further away. His eyes widened as his grip on my shoulders became impossibly tight. I winced and ripped his hands off with a strength I didn't know I possessed. I touch my shoulders slightly and felt a slight vibrate echo through the quiet air around us. Looking at the caller I.D., Jay's name popped up and I quickly answered the message.

"Jay? Is this you?" I asked slightly worried.

"_Of course it's me you dumb idiot. Who else would it be? Ever heard of caller I.D?" _ he asked sarcastically and the comments made by him slightly tugged at my already cracked heart. I sighed in relief and looked up at the man to see him still looking into the trees. I followed his gaze and found the dark figure absent from where I had seen him. I shook my head and returned to the call.

"Yeah, sorry Jay. Apparently grandmother forgot to call the school to enroll me so I have to get all this stuff signed. I didn't know where anything was but I got directions now. Can you come and drive me home?" I asked, quickly recapping the events of this morning. I looked through my lashes to the man but found that he was gone. Confused, I looked around the area for a sight of his cobalt eyes and midnight black hair, so similar to mine. When no features revealed themselves, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"_Sure. Where are ya?"_ Jay asked and I repeated the name of the bar/restaurant to him.

"_You went to a bar for answers?! Why didn't you just call me?_" he shouted and I scoffed in disbelief.

"You're kidding right? I did call you, like 10 times! You didn't answer a single one of them. Don't you check your phone?" I yelled in anger. How dare he blame this whole thing on me?!

"_I was busy. You should have gone to the school to get help, not a fucking bar!"_ he yelled and his colorful vocabulary had me breathing shakily. I wiped my eyes of any invisible tears and clutched the phone tighter into my hand.

"I didn't want to go back to the school. It's…it's just… you wouldn't understand," I spoke quietly and ducked my head slightly as I recalled the accusing stares from the other students at that hellhole.

"_Listen, I'll be there in 5 minutes. Just sit tight and DON'T go back into that bar, okay?"_ he said softly, feeling somewhat guilty for snapping at me. I glanced up and saw the dark figure, slightly closer than last time and although it was broad daylight, that sun and the light didn't give me much comfort.

Keeping my gaze on the figure I hurriedly whispered into the phone, "Can you hurry Jay? There's this really-," I was cut off by a beeping sound, signaling the end of the call. I frantically looked at the screen of my phone and back up to the new tree that the figure had taken to I quickly backed up and hit a brick wall.

"AHH!" I screamed as hands took hold of my arms and quickly whipped my body around, bashing the figure with the purse/bag I had brought for school today. The figure grunted and groaned as a hit a tender spot on his head.

"Hey, hey, HEY! Knock it off would ya? I'm not gonna hurt you!" the figure defended and the familiar black hair stopped me from hitting him again. I breathed heavily and limply held the back in my hands as he rubbed the spot where my back had hit especially hard on his head. I sheepishly grinned and tightened my hold on the old leather bag.

"Jeez you do know how to use that thing, huh? God" he groaned as he patted the back of his black-haired head. I let out a huff and rolled my eyes, rubbing my head slightly with the hand that wasn't holding the weapon/purse that would have saved my life from danger. Although, I hadn't quite ruled this guy out of the 'dangerous' category.

"It's your own fault for sneaking up on me like that. Just what were you doing anyway?" I asked angry at his stupidity.

"I was just gonna ask if you need a ride," he replied. _That was definitely not what he was going to do_, a part of my mind said. I agreed and warily watched his every movement, from the direction his muscles moved to the amount of air he breathed.

"Well I already said no. I have a ride. Now if you would _please_ go back to getting drunk at 9:00 in the morning that would be great," I harshly said, hoping my tone would drive him away. Instead, much to my dismay, he laughed.

"Oh if I could become truly drunk that would be great. Hahaha what a gift that would be," he said with a faraway look hidden in his eyes. I backed up more towards the road and mulled over his words. _If he could get drunk? Does he mean he can't already?_ I watched him as he watched me and suddenly, I felt like the mouse he had called so many times before except this time it was meant more literally with him as the cat. However, the mouse always got away in Tom and Jerry, right? _Right_, my mind spoke back and the sound of wheels scraping against the ground brought both of our attention to the large truck barreling down the empty street. I sighed in relief. Yes, today I would be the mouse that got away with clever planning. The man watched the black truck pull up to the curb and watched closely as I walked to the door. Pulling it open I struggled once again to get into the massive vehicle. A slight snicker and cool hands made me jump in surprise as the creepy man hoisted me up into the vehicle. I turned to glare at him and he playfully winked back in response.

"I guess I'm going to have to offer my ride home another time then, pretty eyes," he joked causing my brother next to me to scoff in anger and annoyance. Jay's heavy gaze heated me back but I refused to glance back over the other side of the truck. I rolled my eyes at the man and pulled the seat belt over my body as he continued to stand between the truck door.

"Could you please move, _fastidioso bastardo_?" I asked, feeling smug with my knowledge of Italian. However, confusion wasn't one of the expressions that fell across his perfect face. Instead amusement and shock replayed heavily in his azure gaze. Suddenly an attractive smirk played on his perfect lips as he leaned forward making me back up more into the leather seats of Jay's truck.

"Lovely description but my name is Damon Salvatore, _occhi belli_," he responded with a wink a quick kiss to my palm. He jumped back and pushed the door shut smiling and waving as Jay drove the car out of the lot. He looked at me angrily and drove faster as the thickness of the truck grew and grew. I went to look over Jay's window to see if the figure was still there and when no creepy shadow sat hiding and stalking behind a tree I relaxed into the seat.

"Darcy? Who the _hell_ was _that_?!" he shouted and I jumped slightly before looking out the window, watching the green trees blend into a blob of color.

"You heard him, didn't you? He's Damon Salvatore," and as I said these words, the last name caught up in my memory. _Salvatore as in Stefan Salvatore as well?_

Well this sure made things complicated.

Authors Note: So this chapter has a lot packed in it with the introduction of Damon and a _mysterious_ figure hiding behind trees. Who could it be?! And then there is the revelation that Darcy's grandmother is a feared woman among the town locals. And what about the house? Read and Review

Translations: ( I used Google translate so if anyone knows Italian, don't scream at me that it's incorrect)

_fastidioso bastardo: _annoying bastard

_occhi belli:_ pretty eyes


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